Windows Media Player Alternatives? Windows Media Player is the media player provided pre-installed with all modern Windows versions. However, you may want something more from a media program. Whether you have a vast music library or want to watch a video you downloaded, there are many full-featured programs to choose from.
The Media Player 12 plays much more music and video than ever, including Flip Video and unprotected songs from your iTunes library and, is a well-known tool in the CD/DVD Tools category.
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Windows Media Player Alternatives
However, there are lots of alternatives to Windows Media Player for different platforms, such as Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, and iPhone. This article will be unmasking some of these alternatives, so endeavor to read to the end. Beneath are several free software that could be your perfect Windows Media Player replacement.
VLC
VLC is a free and open-source cross-platform multimedia player and framework which plays most multimedia files as well as DVDs, Audio CDs, VCDs, and various streaming protocols. It’s a simple, fast, and powerful media player.
The media player is an excellent alternative to Windows Media Player. Although, its UI is not appealing, neither is Windows Media Players.
Pros
- It is free to download and use.
- It supports video/audio formats without plug-ins.
Ad-free.
- Available across platforms like Windows, Mac, Linux, and Mobile.
- A great, responsive community of developers.
Cons
- It has an outdated interface.
- Has some difficulty playing DVDs smoothly or at all?
- Not made to play or catalog a music library.
- It does not have a customization feature.
- It is often a victim of hackers.
So, if you’re looking for a full-featured replacement for Microsoft’s media player, the VLC Media Player is a serious contender.
VLC Media Player lets you do advanced things that aren’t possible with Windows Media Player. For instance, you can extract audio from video, convert between formats, and set up your computer as a streaming media server. The Media Player is available for Windows, Linux, Mac OS X, and other operating systems.
MPC-HC
MPC-HC is an extremely lightweight, open-source media player for Windows. The software supports all common video and audio file formats available for playback. And most users think MPC-HC is a great alternative to Windows Media Player.
Foobar2000
Foobar2000 is an amazing and advanced freeware audio player for the Windows platform. Its main features Supported audio formats include the following: MP3, MP4, AAC, CD Audio, WMA, Vorbis, Opus, FLAC, WavPack, WAV, AIFF, Musepack, Speex, AU, SND… and more with additional components.
Pros
- Has a simple, lightweight interface.
- It comes with lots of plug-ins to customize and add advanced functions.
- Also, it’s easy to customize the theme.
- It supports gapless playback.
Cons
- The default theme looks outdated.
- Many plug-ins in the tool are outdated or not frequently patched.
- Some customizations require advanced computer skills.
So, if you’re searching for an audio-only player, take a look at Foobar2000- it’s regarded as one of the best.
The audio format support is excellent, and it can convert between formats using optional plug-ins. Another amazing thing about the program is that it doesn’t need much memory compared to Windows Media Player, which can be a real RAM hog.
MPV
MPV is another interesting alternative to Windows Media Maker. It is an audio and movie player based on MPlayer and mplayer2. The software supports a wide variety of video file formats, audio and video codecs, and subtitle types.
However, most users think MPV is a great alternative to Windows Media Player. MPV is an open-source and professional project.
PotPlayer
Potplayer is a minimalist and outstanding media player. It has an extensive range of configurable options to choose from and lots of functionality.
However, lots of antiviruses detect a potentially unwanted application (adware) PUA.FusionCore in the file F.dll dropped by the installer of PotPlayer in the Temp folder. The moment that file is blocked by the antivirus, the program is installed with no problems and ads.
